Democrats are working to solidify their strategy to effectively question Mueller in the limited time they have.

Democrats say their plans are still in flux and that they’re still negotiating with Mueller and his team over the logistics of the appearance.

As of Thursday, Mueller’s testimony was set to be capped at roughly two hours per committee.

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Under the current agreement, all 22 members of the House Intelligence Committee will get a question, as will 22 members of the 41-person House Judiciary Committee. Those questions will be evenly divided among Democrats and Republicans, leaving a number of members without a question.

But given the two hours of time per committee, lawmakers will have just a few minutes to ask their questions.

Adding a layer of complication are murmurs the Justice Department is seeking to block or limit the private testimony of two of Mueller’s deputies, something that could shake up the agreement.

Democrats on the Judiciary panel said Thursday they are eager to nail down a strategy and format that effectively elucidates key details from Mueller’s sprawling 448-page report in the limited time frame.

Democratic Judiciary members held a closed-door meeting Wednesday evening to discuss strategy. Members emerged saying little about their talks or their frustrations about the crunched schedule for questioning Mueller.

Other members who aren’t likely to question the former special counsel said they are happy that the committee will broadly be able to hear from Mueller, with some noting that they will have the subsequent opportunity to question Mueller’s deputies behind closed doors.

“I’m more likely not to get to ask questions than I am to get to ask questions, but I’m not uptight about it just because I think we are basically going to script this, we’re going to offer the special counsel the opportunity to restate some principal conclusions and findings that are in the report in his own words and his own voice,” Raskin said.

Nadler said it was “beyond the scope” of the markup, which was scheduled to debate a resolution authorizing subpoenas for Trump officials and immigration documents and other bills.

“I thought that was a non sequitur,” Dean said after the markup. “I don’t know why they were making those arguments or speaking on behalf of equal members of the committee. We don’t really need the Republicans to tell us how we are feeling.”

Nadler’s staff has held the private negotiations regarding testimony from Mueller and his deputies close to the chest, leaving even members and their staff in the dark.

The current setup, which the committee acknowledges is fluid, allows for Democrats and Republicans to separately have about an hour of questioning beginning at 9 a.m. The length of opening statements may also impact the duration of the interview.

Thirteen Democrats and six Republicans will not have the opportunity to question Mueller under the current plan. In most cases, the newer members in Congress and on the committee will be excluded.

If Mueller’s deputies, Aaron Zebley and James Quarles, do not come for a closed-door interview, those members also will not get to question anyone on the special counsel’s team about the investigation.

Dean said Thursday that the committee has been told the Justice Department is trying to block or limit the former officials’ testimony on Wednesday. The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

The Intelligence Committee hearing is slated to begin at 12 p.m.

While there are three members who sit on both committees — two Democrats and one Republican — it is unclear whether they will have two separate opportunities to ask questions, or if they will have one session to press Mueller.

Broadly, Democrats say they’re leaving it up to Nadler to decide on the ultimate format for the hearing but noted many members have offered suggestions. It’s unclear when the committee will solidify its plans.

“We're very pleased that the ... former special counsel will be coming, but I have confidence in our committee chairs [Nadler and Schiff]. ... They'll handle it very well,” she said. “I wish we had more time, but I'm glad we have the time that we have. But I don't see a role [for me].”

“As far as ... distribution of timing in committees, I'll leave that up to the chairmen,” she added.